Welcome to Waymaker Church! We are so excited to have you join us today! We exist to Encounter, Live for, and Advance the Kingdom of God!

I want to say thank you to Pastor Marcus and Pastor Josh for filling the pulpit for the past several weeks. I have preached all but 12 Sundays since 2022, (196 of 208 weeks). I was thankful to have the opportunity to sit in church, refresh my heart in the word, and have space to hear from the Lord for where He desires to lead the church.

Last week, I heard Pastor Josh thank you for not ditching out of service because it wasn’t me preaching for the past 6 weeks. I wanted to briefly share my heart on this.

Church should never be about a man or his gifting. It should always be about Jesus. If we elevate man, we build castles and monuments laboring with wood, hay, and stubble. What’s built may look good above the ground, but in the end, it won’t last when the fire is put to it.

When the man to whom the crowd looks diminishes, they diminish. If he stumbles or falls, they scatter. Why? Because their faith was in a man and not in Christ.

If we elevate Jesus we are positioned for encounter, revelation, and the glory of God. With right focus we won’t build castles and monuments to men, we will build the kingdom of God. Hebrews 12:28 says, that we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. This is only true if it is rooted in Christ.

Hebrews 12:28 tells us, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

Each of our Pastors walk in unique God-given anointing. Our styles of communication and delivery are different but that will never diminish the potency of the message. The power of God’s word does not change.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

The word of God preached will find its way to the heart and soul of a man, and it will bring transformation if is mixed with faith and applied in the one who hears. We are body fitly joined together, and we need every part.

Thank you for being a people who are hungry for Jesus, and not a person’s gifting. Our singular desire is to help you fix your gaze on the only one who is worthy, and that is Jesus. This church exists not to elevate the ministry of men, but to bring glory to God.

We will continue to posture our hearts with humility, and seek His face with diligence, so that we might lead you to authentic encounter with Jesus. If we will continue to honor the word no matter who it comes from we will have encounter with Jesus, resulting in transformation.

This morning, we are going to jump into a series that I have entitled “Jesus Our Healer”. Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at how Jesus brings healing to the total man.

The next series will be Let’s Talk About It. As the questions keep rolling, we need a bit of time to organize, evaluate, and prepare.

Today, we are going to begin by this series by looking at how Jesus heals the heart of man.

I want to begin with this thought:
If we do not find healing in the inner man through Christ, no amount of external behavior changes will compensate for a wounded or sin-filled heart.
The heart of man is composed of the soul and spirit, and it encompasses the entirety of your emotional nature and understanding. It is the bedrock where all issues of life stem from.

Every issue of life stems from the heart of man. Sin, evil, offense, unforgiveness, insecurity, self-image, hope, peace, joy, corruption, righteousness, judgment, fear, anger, you name it. The origination is in the heart of man.

Jesus gives revelation on the outflow of the heart in Luke 6:45.

If Good and Evil begin in the heart, we would be foolish to attempt external change without first giving attention to the condition of the inward man.

I want to highlight a few key elements of this story.
1. The reality of sin.
a. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
b. Romans 3:10–12 “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
c. The woman caught in the act of adultery was in sin, and those who picked up the stones were also in sin. Why? Adam’s disobedience. Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—”

2. There is no condemnation in Christ.
a. Romans 8:1–2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
b. The words of Jesus to the woman were two-fold. I do not condemn you and go and sin no more. How is that possible to stop sinning? We must be born again by the Spirit of God.
c. Romans 10:13 “For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” When we call on the Lord the scripture tells us that we are a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
d. Romans 8:13–14 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Good vs. Evil in the inner man comes down to who sits on the throne of our hearts. The only way to change the condition of the inner man is to surrender to Christ. All sin flows out of the unsurrendered, unrepentant heart.

When we sit as gods over our lives, the result will always be evil. We will fight for our way, our rights, and give excuses for our evil desires. If we repent and surrender, we gain the opportunity to walk in freedom through the Spirit of God.

Surrender and drawing near in faith is the initial key to having joy, hope, peace, and righteousness. Next week, we will look deeper at how the word purifies our life, shifting us from evil to good.